Already a month into the New Year, area high school seniors’ graduations are looming near — and they’re trying to make scholarships appear.

High school guidance counselors are working overtime with reminding students daily about scholarship opportunities.

“They’re told early on (during) their junior year to start considering scholarships and putting in (college) applications,” said Rachel McGlew, Kinston High School senior guidance counselor, who sets up folders with scholarship materials in the front of the counseling office. “They have to come back on their own time, consistently, and check those folders. If they need something, they come to me.”

Kinston High, along with the North and South Lenoir High Schools, announce new scholarships over the intercom.

A major supplement to students’ scholarship journey is another word for them to think about: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

“The buzz word right now is FASFA,” said Danita Sheppard, a guidance counselor at South Lenoir. “Most of them are looking to get it completed.”

On Feb. 23, College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) will sponsor a statewide FAFSA Day, hosted at State Employees’ Credit Union branches. From 9 a.m. to noon, students and parents can get help filing out their FAFSA, a form required for consideration of federal and state financial aid for college.

Students looking to apply to out-of-state colleges have to do more research, McGlew said.

“It just requires more work on their part and my part,” she said. “But there’s not much difference for those kids who are doing out-of-state-schools.”

Students can use the CFNC website to manage various applications and even submit transcripts, all through one site.

Schools’ guidance sites are good resources that help keep students on track. At North Lenoir, a scholarship spreadsheet is posted online for seniors, which outlines the multiple scholarships and their requirements.

“The spreadsheet tells students (what they’re eligible for) right upfront,” said North Lenoir guidance counselor Jennifer Hollingsworth. “(Scholarships) are very, very different and very specific about what they want.”

Christopher Bell Jr., a Kinston High School senior interested in studying computer engineering, said he’s been using multiple scholarship resources, but it never seems like enough.

“It just doesn’t feel like you’re going to get there,” he said about being awarded scholarships. “I haven’t gotten that many scholarships yet, so it’s scary.”

Hollingsworth said her advice to students is to don’t stop applying.

“A lot of kids will start off strong and apply for everything,” she said. “Then they get burned out, but you can’t.”

This is the time of the year many local scholarships are announced, so students should be on the lookout.

The Lenoir Community College Foundation has $150,000 worth of scholarships for the 2013-14 academic year. Foundation Executive Director Jeanne Kennedy said up to 190 scholarships can be awarded.

“To make it easier for students, all our scholarships are online,” she said. “You can fill out one application to apply to every scholarship we have. We think it makes it much easier.”

The LCC Foundation teamed up with high schools earlier in the academic year for College and Financial Aid Nights, and recruiters also visited campuses.

Counselors urge students keep checking and applying.

“My role is to stay on top of them and remind them,” McGlew said. “I’m someone there pushing them from behind rather than doing the leg work for them, because that has to come from them.”

BREAKOUT BOX:

For more information of scholarships in North Carolina visit College Foundation of North Carolina at cfnc.org or call 866-866-CFNC (2362).